Sima Hyeon’s gaze deepened.
Yeon Hojeong looked as though he had just realized his mistake.
“My apologies. You are not the Yin God yet. Once you join us in eliminating the current Yin God, you will become the Yin God then.”
“That is a dangerous thing to say right out of the gate.”
“I hardly think the man who first reached out to propose killing his own master is in any position to say that.”
Barbed words had been exchanged from the moment they met. At least, Sima Hyeon could only see it that way.
Yeon Hojeong felt differently.
So it was you.
Despite his reputation as a genius assassin, Sima Hyeon wore old-fashioned white robes and looked every inch the elegant young nobleman.
But Yeon Hojeong knew perfectly well how vicious a blade was hidden beneath that handsome exterior.
The previous Yin God’s eldest disciple? Then even in my former life, you must have killed Yayul Jeok and taken the throne of the Yin God for yourself.
A peculiar look crossed Yeon Hojeong’s face.
You truly were an extraordinary man.
Crushing someone weaker than oneself was easy, regardless of how morally reprehensible the act might be.
But overcoming someone stronger and claiming a new throne was inevitably a grueling feat.
Sima Hyeon had accomplished exactly that—back when Yeon Hojeong had lived as the Dark Emperor.
Perhaps you asked for outside help then as well, just as you have now. But what matters is that you ultimately succeeded in your rebellion, became the new Yin God, and seized the underworld of the Central Plains as its death god.
Yeon Hojeong would never have admitted it, but he regarded Sima Hyeon quite favorably.
Perhaps it was because, in the end, Sima Hyeon had eliminated the Perverse Lust Cult’s agent. To Yeon Hojeong, the Perverse Lust Cult was vermin that had to be exterminated by any means necessary.
THUD.
Yeon Hojeong set Mad Dragon down.
“You have quite a lot of nerve, by the way. It is customary to attend a meeting like this unarmed, yet you imposed no restrictions whatsoever.”
“I do not concern myself with trivialities.”
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“Do not take offense, but the more urgent the situation and the worse the circumstances, the more meticulous you must be. I do not know what our relationship will become, but you would do well to pay more attention to matters like this.”
His voice was weighty. Anyone listening could tell that the advice was sincere.
Sima Hyeon neither accepted that sincerity nor dismissed it.
“We do not have much time. Let us get to the point.”
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“The purpose of this meeting is clear, but let us not rush too much. We may overlook something important.”
Sima Hyeon felt strangely weary.
“Take your time if you like. I will hurry on my own end.”
“Very well. Let us do that.”
The two soon sat across from each other with a table between them.
“We have little time, so I would prefer to speak plainly. Before that, however, there is one matter we must address.”
“Go ahead.”
Sima Hyeon’s gaze deepened.
“Guangdong Province is under the control of several thousand assassins. You may find it difficult to believe that so few could dominate such a vast region, but beneath them are more Dark Path practitioners than you could imagine, organized into scattered cells throughout Guangdong—”
“I believe you.”
“......”
“The Martial Alliance sent us here to deal with that very problem.”
“If you believe me, this will be easier. It also means that there is an extremely high chance every move you have made has been observed by our assassins.”
“I assumed as much.”
“The Dark Bird Band knew exactly when the Martial Alliance’s field-force units entered Guangdong and where they were headed.”
Sima Hyeon’s eyes flashed.
“Until the Beggars’ Union became involved.”
“They are capable people.”
“I am aware that the Beggars’ Union possesses an exceptional intelligence network. Even so, I must ask. Were you noticed by the current Yin God on your way here?”
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“I have no way of knowing. I can only trust the Beggars’ Union informants who helped us.”
“......Then we truly must hurry.”
Sima Hyeon spoke bluntly.
“I know that you came here to eliminate the current Yin God.”
“So it would seem.”
“What I know, the Yin God knows as well. In other words, he has made exhaustive preparations for an attack by the field-force units. He has raised an impregnable wall.”
“And?”
“I am the current Yin God’s eldest disciple. He and I share everything. Every route leading to his residence, along with all twenty-six secret passages, is in my head.”
“......”
“I will help you. Let us capture the Yin God together.”
Yeon Hojeong did not answer for a moment.
Sima Hyeon continued.
“I know you must have been taken aback when the Yin God’s eldest disciple suddenly contacted you. You may suspect that this is a trap. Even if it is not, you may consider us the sort of people who could betray you at any moment.”
“......”
“I have no way to prove my sincerity to you.”
“That is the problem.”
“......”
“No matter how urgent the situation was, you should have racked your brain and found some way to persuade me. Even a temporary alliance requires some measure of trust. Without it, our cooperation will amount to nothing.”
Sima Hyeon nodded.
“Your criticism is valid. But the deed is already done. Rather than regretting the past, I believe it is better to focus on making the decision I have already made succeed.”
“That is your problem.”
“This is hardly a poor proposal for you. A moment ago, you told me that if the current Yin God died, I would become the next Yin God.”
“I did.”
“I have no interest in building a power base. I possess an intelligence organization and comrades of my own, but they are merely the minimum framework required for assassination work.”
It was a curious statement.
Though he was an assassin, he called his companions comrades. Regardless of the inherent immorality of assassination, that at least proved Sima Hyeon was not a demonic killer who murdered indiscriminately.
That, Yeon Hojeong thought, made him even more dangerous.
Nothing is more dangerous than an assassin with convictions.
The Sima Hyeon he had met as the Dark Emperor and the Sima Hyeon before him now were the same man, yet they were also different.
His name and fundamental nature were the same, but his abilities and position were not. And people could change beyond recognition depending on the power and position they held.
That was why Yeon Hojeong had no choice but to remain cautious. Carelessly assuming he understood Sima Hyeon merely because he had known him in his former life could lead to a fatal mistake.
“So once the current Yin God is dead and you inherit the title, you intend to disappear into the shadows again?”
“That is correct. That was the tradition passed down through generations of Yin Gods. The man I call my master was the one who broke that tradition and turned the assassins into his private army.”
Yeon Hojeong’s gaze deepened.
He believed an assassin with convictions was more dangerous than one who killed indiscriminately, but in truth, martial artists were no different.
In some respects, martial artists were far deadlier than assassins. Assassins at least acted upon receiving a commission, whereas martial artists had few rules that carried any real force.
That was why the Orthodox Path had come into being—to live by clear laws and principles, and to cause as little harm to the world as possible.
In the end, martial artists and assassins were not so different. What separated them was the value they chose to live for and the future they dreamed of creating.
After observing Sima Hyeon in silence, Yeon Hojeong asked casually, “There is something I would like to know. I ask your indulgence, even if the question sounds somewhat rude.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you like being an assassin?”
“......?”
Sima Hyeon frowned.
“If you intend to debate the morality of my profession here—”
“Had that been my intention, you would not still be alive. I would have picked up my axe before ever opening my mouth.”
“......”
“Do not read too much into the question. I am asking out of genuine curiosity.”
“I do not know.”
“......You do not know?”
“That is correct. I have never given the matter any serious thought.”
His mind seemed pressed for time, but his voice sounded sincere. At least, that was how Yeon Hojeong perceived it.
So he asked another question.
“Then, should you be given the chance to begin a new life, could you cast aside the position of Yin God without hesitation?”
“I cannot begin to understand what you are trying to ask.”
“Take the question exactly as it is.”
Sima Hyeon’s eyes turned cold.
“Is my answer important enough to affect whether we cooperate?”
“No. But if our cooperation goes forward, it may affect what happens afterward.”
“You may not be aware of this, but I did not arrange this meeting so that you could interrogate me. I have no intention of receiving your teachings, nor do I wish to discuss my future with you.”
Sima Hyeon laced his fingers together.
“I arranged this meeting for one reason alone: to discuss whether you would join forces with me to eliminate the Yin God.”
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
“You are right. If my unnecessary questions offended you, then I apologize.”
It was a rare apology from Yeon Hojeong.
Yet even after receiving it, Sima Hyeon felt his mood sink.
What is this?
Sima Hyeon looked into Yeon Hojeong’s eyes.
They were clear and deep. The gaze was so steady that one could scarcely imagine it belonged to the wielder of an axe that reeked so heavily of blood.
He is not testing me. But he is not looking down on me, either.
Though he had not yet reached the age of twenty, Sima Hyeon’s experience in assassination ranked among the ten greatest of all the assassins in the Central Plains.
He had been trained that brutally and had carried out assassination after assassination without rest. As a result, he had become exceptionally skilled at reading human emotions.
He is strangely composed. Almost as if he has something he can rely on.
After staring directly into Yeon Hojeong’s eyes for a moment, Sima Hyeon shook his head.
“I would like your answer now. Will you join us?”
“Let us consider it.”
“There is no time for consideration.”
“Then act first. Once we have enough information to make a judgment, we will follow.”
Sima Hyeon’s eyes turned cold once again.
“You intend to use us as shields?”
Yeon Hojeong gave a faint scoff.
“Rather than undertake something perilous with an ally I cannot trust, it is ten thousand times better to watch closely and see whether that ally is truly willing to pay a price.”
“That is regrettable—”
“Let me make this perfectly clear. As I said at the beginning, you made no preparations whatsoever to earn our trust. That is your failure. Therefore, we have no intention of stepping into needless danger.”
“......”
“If you wanted to strike a bargain, you should at least have laid the minimum groundwork required for the bargain to succeed.”
Yeon Hojeong rose from his seat.
It was an astonishing response. He stood before Sima Hyeon could and turned his back without showing the slightest trace of reluctance.
WHOOOM.
Yeon Hojeong rested Mad Dragon on his shoulder and looked at Sima Hyeon.
“We will proceed as we originally intended. You should follow whatever plan you had prepared as well.”
Sima Hyeon spoke in a low voice.
“Should you interfere with our work, even by accident, we will attack without hesitation. Keep that in mind.”
“......”
“Our discussion is over. You may leave.”
“......”
“Is there something else?”
“......Let me ask you one thing.”
Sima Hyeon was about to tell him to go ahead when he suddenly flinched.
The eyes looking down at him were no longer the same. They were now filled with savage, crushing menace.
“You arranged this meeting without the Yin God’s knowledge, did you not?”
“That is a pointless question. Of course—”
“Then how do you explain the stench of beasts closing in from every direction?”
“What?”
At that moment—
FWEEEEET! THUNK!
A sharp arrow whistle sounded outside, followed by the hideous noise of flesh being pierced.
Mookbi’s urgent voice rang out immediately afterward.
“Young Master Yeon!”
Yeon Hojeong’s face hardened at once.
“You came here with a tail.”
“......!”
Sima Hyeon sprang to his feet.
Then Mookbi shouted again.
“There are too many of them! Be careful! They’ll be inside any second!”
BOOOOM!
The building’s ceiling collapsed, and dozens of assassins poured inside.
Yeon Hojeong ground his teeth.
“Keep handling things this sloppily and you’ll get yourself killed!”
WHOOOOOM!
Mad Dragon tore through the air.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter